There might be some benefit from less O2, but also from less fuel. The fire is located at/near timberline so there aren't as many directions for it to spread. And it seems that trees up high are usually smaller and more sparse. So less heat/sparks produced and less likelihood of new spot fires igniting. OTOH, crews have to do their work up at high elevation and we all can imagine what that's like.

Still, the attitude of everyone in LV as of Tues afternoon was very non-chalant. Nobody in any of the shops/cafes I went into was talking about it until i brought it up. The only interest at the info kiosk they had set up seemed to come from tourists. (One chinese lady was using it to help her son learn English...)

J-RockandRockpile wrote:Are there any road closures in the area? More specifically Fremont Pass?

Lookin' to get some newbies out on Massive this weekend.

Inciweb.org covers the closures pretty good:

"Road status: The fire is half a mile east of Highway 91 (the road between Leadville and Copper Mountain) between mile marker 5 and 6. Highway 91 is open. The highway shoulder is closed in order to minimize traffic hazards.

Mosquito Pass Road has been reopened. The road into Birdseye Gulch remains closed. Fire managers and the County Sheriff review the need for each road closure daily."

J-RockandRockpile wrote:Are there any road closures in the area? More specifically Fremont Pass?

Lookin' to get some newbies out on Massive this weekend.

Inciweb.org covers the closures pretty good:

"Road status: The fire is half a mile east of Highway 91 (the road between Leadville and Copper Mountain) between mile marker 5 and 6. Highway 91 is open. The highway shoulder is closed in order to minimize traffic hazards.

Mosquito Pass Road has been reopened. The road into Birdseye Gulch remains closed. Fire managers and the County Sheriff review the need for each road closure daily."

One thing that hinders their efforts is too much humidity. This is b/c they are making heavy use of controlled burns to establish a perimeter. In order to be effective, a controlled burn needs to be fairly vigorous and really consume all the ignitable fuels. Too much humidity and the burns just fizzle out on their own.

Besides raising humidity, the storms hinder progress when they produce (or threaten) lightning. At that altitude and exposure, crews have to take lightning threat very seriously.

The majority of the crews are from sea level ! They have to hike up to the fire site each day with heavy gear, most of which they carry for their full 12 hour shift. The entirety of the fire is above 10,000 ft. and extends up to over 12,000 ft.

The fire crews report being well cared for and request any offers of support be directed to the Red Cross to help evacuees from other Colorado fires.

The majority of the crews are from sea level ! They have to hike up to the fire site each day with heavy gear, most of which they carry for their full 12 hour shift. The entirety of the fire is above 10,000 ft. and extends up to over 12,000 ft.

Sending some positive energy to those firefighters. That's gotta be just grueling for the flatlanders.

As for hiking, like J-RockandRockpile, I'm also hoping to get out to Massive in the next couple days. As best I can tell, the smoke from this fire should be blowing more or less into the Eastern skies. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I don't want to escape the smoke of the Waldo Canyon Fire only to be toiling in the smoke from the Treasure Fire.... If need be I'll take these feet to a different mountain.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be alive, however briefly, on this marvelous planet we call Earth.”Ed Abbey

I didnt go down that way today but as of yesterday there wasn't a whole lot of smoke rising from the Treasure Fire. You'll see some if something flares up or during controlled burns, but thats about it. The smoke has been going to the northeast(edited) towards Democrat and Quandary.

Last edited by Magnum420 on Thu Jun 28, 2012 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

"I was high on life till I realized it was cut with idiots!" ---Anon---

Magnum420 wrote:I didnt go down that way today but as of yesterday there wasn't a whole lot of smoke rising from the Treasure Fire. You'll see some if something flares up or during controlled burns, but thats about it. The smoke has been going to the northwest towards Democrat and Quandary.

Thanks for the update. There are a bunch of us running the Leadville Trail Marathon on Saturday, and even though the road up to Mosquito Pass has been re-opened there has been concern over smoke inhalation. Appreciate the info!

"But it doesn't matter if your in Valdez skiing out of a helicopter, or putzing around on a flat hill somewhere in Iowa. That adrenaline rush comes when you satisfy your most basic instinct, your own search for freedom."

-Warren Miller

I almost always wear a bathing suit when I climb. If you see me say hey!

Magnum420 wrote:I didnt go down that way today but as of yesterday there wasn't a whole lot of smoke rising from the Treasure Fire. You'll see some if something flares up or during controlled burns, but thats about it. The smoke has been going to the northwest towards Democrat and Quandary.